I lean against the hard stone wall, looking straight ahead, but not really paying attention. People were scattered about, as it was after dinner. The young ones were on the little playground in the East Wing. Their laughter was still light and free. They still remember what the outside is like. I, on the other hand, don’t. These stone walls and barred windows are all I really remember. Before I knew it, I heard the whistle. It was calling everyone inside for the night. Two hours before curfew. Quickly, quietly, I ran through the doors.
I walked alone for a while, examining the tall stone columns that sprouted from the ground every five feet. Everything in this school was a shade of grey. The floors were a dark grey stone that never warmed, not even in the summer. The walls were a medium grey stone. It reminded me of what a medieval castle would look like. The only bits of color were the school banners sprinkled here and there throughout the school. The banners sported our lovely motto “The Best of the Worst”. They were our school colors, a light blue-grey and a dark blue. Our uniforms match the school colors as well. The hallways were particularly empty tonight. Probably because of the cold. It was only September, but the cold weather had already started to set in. I wrapped my large, brown coat around me. It was frigid, and since there was no air conditioning in the building, winter is a dreary time here.
I rounded a corner, lost in my own thoughts. I had summer homework in Physics tonight. I was headed to the library to check in their books when I heard a voice calling my name.
“Fiorenza!”
I whipped around, tightening my grip on my book-bag. There was no one in sight. The only thing in front of me was the long, cold, dead expanse of hallway. I eyed the security camera in the hallway. They didn’t have speakers, did they? Whatever. Its probably one of the Fourth Year students I tutored during the summer playing a prank again. I continued my trek to the library.
Books, books, and more books. The library is a room that stretches four stories high and consists of floor to ceiling bookshelves. Everything you would ever need is there. There are schoolbooks and fiction books, books on history, books on anything you could possibly need. The smell of old and new books permeated the walls of this comforting room. I particularly enjoyed this room. Every time I entered it, I was filled with ecstasy. It was a nice place to read, get homework out of the way, and a quiet place to think and be undisturbed. I gathered some helpful books and settled down on a table in the corner. I wasn’t there five minutes before I was interrupted by a repetitive poke on the shoulder.
“Fi. Fi. Fi.”
“What?!” I snapped, turning to face a head of unruly brown hair. A freckled face leaned in and whispered in my ear,
“You’re late! Samuel, Amadeus, and I can’t have a meeting without you!” She said quietly,
“Crap! I forgot! I’m so sorry Fallon!” I said, slamming the book shut.
“Its okay...” She pouted, “Check out your stupid physics book and come on!”
I walked up to the monstrous front desk. Sitting there was a petite old woman, who seemed to look down at me. I placed my book in front of her, and waited patently as she pulled out her record book and recorded the number. Then she took my fingerprint and sent me off. Fallon grabbed my arm and yanked me out the door. We ran past the Dormitories, past the kitchen, past the main hall, and up the stairs into the empty part of the school. These classrooms were outdated and hadn’t been used in fifty years. It was like walking back into time. The hallways were just as cold and dead, but slightly more cheerful banners hung about. The empty classrooms had a rustic charm to them, unlike the industrialized rooms of the present school. The cameras were bigger too. I eyed an old camera nervously as Fallon pulled out a key from her necklace. She swung the door open and we crept into the abandoned classroom. Wooden desks still sat in perfect rows facing the chalkboard.
